In the automobile industry, anchor nuts are typically welded to an automotive body so that various bodywork members and accessories can be readily fastened to the automotive body. Essentially, an anchor nut includes a threaded nut which is attached to a plate so that when the plate is welded or otherwise fastened to the automotive body, an accessory can be attached to the auto body by a fastener which threadably cooperates with the threaded nut.
One of the advantages of the aforementioned anchor nut is that there is a certain amount of relative movement between the threaded nut and the plate. Such relative movement is particularly useful during robotic assembly of bodywork accessories so that the fastener is able to align with and engage the threaded nut.
However, during painting or e-coating of an auto body, there is a tendency for the dried paint to lock the threaded nut relative to the plate. The present invention includes an arrangement in which there is only a small area of contact between the threaded nut and the plate so that a dried film of paint between the threaded nut and the plate is easily broken such that the nut is permitted to float relative to the plate.
Therefore, it is a feature of the present invention to provide an anchor nut device for attachment to a structure that overcomes the problems associated with the prior art arrangements.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision of an anchor nut device for attachment to a structure that is reliable in use and that is relatively low in cost.